Atheists... Your life is pointless

@reasoning logic,

Sorry RL. I definitely didn't intend to insult you. I am sorry if I have inadvertently done so.
My general thought to leave someone who thinks of the 911 attacks as a conspiracy, it that governments just aren't that smart. Governments are short-sighted (especially the more democratic they are). The Bush administration was just not that clever.

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@MattDavis,

It all boils down to how you define a substantial segment. All I have to go on is a report on the 10th anniversary of the attack.

Quote:

38% believe that the US has found clear evidence in Iraq that Saddam Hussein was working closely with Al Qaeda.
- 31% believe that Iraq gave substantial support to Al Qaeda but was not involved with the September attacks while an additional 15% believe that Iraq was directly involved in carrying out the September 11 attacks.

http://themoderatevoice.com/121921/ten-years-later-belief-in-iraq-connection-with-911-attack-persists/

I know it's a survey and it's a few years out of date, but even if it was only 5% ten years after the event, I'd still class that as a substantial segment.

I'm not surprised you don't know anyone who believes irag was behind it all, you're a smart guy. I bet you hang out with smart guys.

Try asking Oralboy or Gungasnake or H2OMan what they think.

1 Reply

@MattDavis,

Quote:

Sorry RL. I definitely didn't intend to insult you. I am sorry if I have inadvertently done so.
My general thought to leave someone who thinks of the 911 attacks as a conspiracy, it that governments just aren't that smart. Governments are short-sighted (especially the more democratic they are). The Bush administration was just not that clever.

Conspiracy theories some times interest me but I do not pay attention to most of them. Do you think that the laws of physics are suspended during war times? Wink

1 Reply

@reasoning logic,

reasoning logic wrote:

Is this your way of saying I am wrong about building seven?

Yes, you should let the poor girl go, and detach all the bits of metal you've superglued on her. Star Trek is just a story.

1 Reply

@MattDavis,

Quote:

The Bush administration was just not that clever.

It really is hard to say how clever they were. I have no clue as to what sociopaths are capable of doing. Cool

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@izzythepush,

Quote:

Star Trek is just a story.

No its not that's where we got cellphones from. Laughing

beam me up

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@izzythepush,

Quickly looking over the methodology of the study:
The respondents were asked 3 questions regarding invasion of Afghanistan and then asked this question regarding Iraq. Back to my point the demos in this country is just not that bright in terms of "them". This survey has us thinking about the nebulous "other" (Arabs/Iranians/Pakistani). I suspect many of the respondents didn't even realize we were now talking about another country.
Also I think that due to the current nature of our "two party system" even a substantial segment by how you may view it 5% has a pretty negligible effect politically. The 5% is probably mostly confined to watching Fox News in their mother's basement and chatting about it on A2K.

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@reasoning logic,

reasoning logic wrote:

Do you think that the laws of physics are suspended during war times?

I wish they were.
I especially wish that the weak nuclear force (holding protons and neutrons together) could be strengthened without altering the chemical properties of elements.
That is to say I wish I could make nuclear fission more difficult.

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@MattDavis,

Quote:

I wish they were.
I especially wish that the weak nuclear force (holding protons and neutrons together) could be strengthened without altering the chemical properties of elements.
That is to say I wish I could make nuclear fission more difficult.

I can understand your point of view but what is weird is that I can understand other people's point of view who I think are way out there at times but I disagree with them often "such as this guy who I shared with Izzy as being way out there at times but at other times I think he could be closer to the truth.

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@MattDavis,

Quote:

That is to say I wish I could make nuclear fission more difficult.

Don't you think that might make trench warfare easier?

1 Reply

@spendius,

I think trench warfare is harder than nuclear warfare.
I think warfare should be hard.
War should not be easy, it should be disincentivized (if you'll pardon the capitalistic framing).

1 Reply

@MattDavis,

Quote:

I wish they were.
I especially wish that the weak nuclear force (holding protons and neutrons together) could be strengthened without altering the chemical properties of elements.
That is to say I wish I could make nuclear fission more difficult.

This may seem crazy and I have no idea if it is true but I wonder if some tall buildings may be wired encase of a catastrophe so that they can bring the building down in a controlled environment but it is not for the public to know. I know this seems way out there but it is all that I could think up at the moment. Idea

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@reasoning logic,

Jeez Luis!
You should write horror stories.

1 Reply

@MattDavis,

Quote:

Jeez Luis!
You should write horror stories.

Yeah I know, that is why it seemed crazy to me, I was just trying to think up some far out reason for building seven to be brought down. I have no idea what really happened.

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@MattDavis,

Quote:

I think trench warfare is harder than nuclear warfare.

Just for blokes. The great thing about nukes is that they don't discriminate. Concentrates the mind. Peace is rendered essential rather than preferable.

Quote:

War should not be easy, it should be disincentivized

Easy to say--hard to do.

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@reasoning logic,

I know they are bringing down (demolishing) a building in downtown Tokyo floor by floor...FROM THE BOTTOM.

Really interesting way of doing it. I'll see if I can find a link to some video.

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@John Creasy,

I'm an atheist my view is nature in all its chaose and order under natural science led us to be the dominant species of our planet and statistics lead us to look at us as privileged as we are an advanced species. And still have not made our species extinct by our own hand and nature didn't wack us yet with a big meteor or comet from space. So we have as a species our own manifest destiny any atheist can proudly be part of to advance our species. That is not exactly something unworthy I just as an Idler take it to the next stage our society should advance to where drudge work and dangerous work can be replaced by technology so we are free to work less if at all.

1 Reply

Prof. Larzer Ziff wrote in The American 1890s: Life and Times of a Lost Generation--

Quote:

William James was to point out with regard to such theories as Nordau's* which cried down religious inspirtation by showing its medical bases that "scientific theories are organically conditioned just as much as religious emotions are; and if we only knew the facts intimately enough we should doubtless see 'the liver' determining the dicta of the sturdy atheist as decisively as it does those of the Methodist minister under conviction anxious about his soul." **

* Degeneration, Max Nordau.

**The Varieties of Religious Experience, William James.

Prof. Ziff's book is worth a passing glance.

1 Reply

@spendius,

Thanks for the reference Spendius.
I think that his description touches on how any mental structure can be used as a rationalization for a "religious emotion".

So is there a line to be drawn, separating normal rationalization from fanaticism?

1 Reply

@tkolter,

Hi TKolter Very Happy

Welcome.
I think you might like Robert Wright.
He is grumpy optimist Wink

http://www.ted.com/talks/robert_wright_on_optimism.html

0 Replies

Atheists... Your life is pointless

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